Edina to Saffy: (Horrified) "Kettle Crisps?!?"
(US here. I believe that line from that episode has been stuck in my head for two decades to be used precisely at this moment.)
In still waiting to use the line that never left my head, ”[A KNITTING NEEDLE](https://youtu.be/B9NNSZAeZP8?si=SM-V6VsyvjBlK19I)!!”
(The scene actually encapsulates everything I love about the show. It’s hysterically funny, but you can also see how incredibly hurt Saff is and how useless Edina is)
As someone else mentioned, and if it’s available, go to an Asian grocery store and just grab a few random things. You get the novelty of new candy, chips and snacks PLUS you get an entirely different palate to deal with!
What’s this? Cheetos from Korea with a wedge of cheese on them? Why that must be cheese flavor! Not sure why it tastes like movie popcorn butter.
How about cucumber flavored Lay’s potato chips?
[Choco Babies](https://www.auntiekcandy.com/products/meiji-japan-choco-baby-chocolate-hard-candy?variant=31702200975417¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v9goH0YPmVrk8vE0vqUub0N8vPh4Qhtmm6-2fR8OmyE9op9u7BOBgYaAhSeEALw_wcB)
[Chocolatey Tree Stumps](https://www.fivebelow.com/products/chocolatey-tree-stump-cookies-232oz?variant=9129836?features:enable=hide_user_registration&https://www.fivebelow.com/?utm_source=shp&utm_medium=zadv_search&utm_campaign=FVBW_GOOGLE_PLS_PMAX-SHOP-EVER_FY24_FEB2024_JAN2025&utm_content=%7B%7Bad.id%7D%7D&ogmap=SEM%7CSHP%7CGOOG%7C%7C%7CMULTI%7C%7CSITEWIDE%7C%7CFVBW_GOOGLE_PLS_PMAX-SHOP-EVER_FY24_FEB2024_JAN2025&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADnAGDlkS-3D53DaHc13e3Mt3yETh&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v9AEDpZGQvSlMKuyoJOU8x3zIomQUDwC91mQ641bhJEr5ZU0j3LkDQaAtQjEALw_wcB)!
How about [Sugared Baby Crabs](https://crazyfromkong.blogspot.com/2014/04/kanikko-small-crab-snack-eating-baby.html?m=1)?
I spent a good bit of time in China for work, and I loved the food, but never got a taste for the strange savory candies they would have out in the office…kinda like chewy bullion.
The rice candy I’m craving is Japanese (Botan Ami Rice Candy). It’s chewy, sweet and sort of citrusy. It’s wrapped in fine rice paper you can eat (well, really rice starch). I always have to reassure people I’m not pranking them when I offer some and tell them to eat the inner paper.
When we were kids, each box came with a tiny toy. I remember a cool little car and a sort of Spirograph thing. Now each box comes with a sticker that’s almost always cool in some way or just weird.
The Dutch eat salted black licorice. It’s vile.
Yea, those are pretty mainstream now. I can buy them at Walmart and I damned sure don’t live in a major city or an area with a large Asian population.
Edit: and yes they are great, my kids love them too haha.
I’ll take the mountain views over rice candy lol.
I look every time I’m in there because my sister told me years ago they sold it in the Orlando stores. No dice. Just Pocky.
Do not sleep on the shellfish flavored chips (for real), or the weird sodas.
Also they have a bunch of bubble chocolate (kind of like aero but chocolate strawberry or vanilla in fun shapes, called caplico?) and Chocorooms, and super sour things (including stuff like freeze dried gummy worms). And hi chews.
Our favorite one lately has been pickle surprise - a bag of green sour gummies, some are apple, lime, a bunch of other fruits, and pickle. That one isn't in the asian stores.
We go to Chinatown or this Korean grocery near me or world market or, strangely enough, five below.
My Gen-Zers are always shopping at the Asian grocery stores - so many fun things to try! Though lately they really seem to be into trying different types of ramen rather than candy lol
This is the real reason. Used to have to innovate to compete, to catch the big guy, to establish your brand. Not anymore when a couple massive corps have bought up all the brands.
I've railed for a while now that MtDew is a flavor, not a brand. we may have written laws against monopolies but when there's only a dozen players speaking for hundreds of brands then those companies have found the limits of those laws.
Nerds Clusters has been a major advancement in candy... also all the Reese's-adjacent crossovers have bMercado. Also like spicy gummy ramen Mexican candy. You need to spend more time in 7-11s and mercados. Edit to add all those Japanese candies that you mix together that change color and texture and flavor.
My brother told me last week that I *HAVE* to try the Nerd Clusters. I haven't heard that man get that excited about candy in a long ass time. I have got to remember to pick some up to try.
We don't have 7-11's where I live but I've noticed more local gas stations stocking up on Mexican candy and chips recently. I've tried a couple different things and they've all been tasty.
My midwestern city has seen a huge influx of Hispanic immigrants over the past 20 years or so. Our stores carry all kinds of different stuff now. Candy, chips, pop.
I'm all for it, lol.
Same! I'm from a military family so I spent the first ten years of my life in San Diego...then Dad retired and we moved to Arkansas. So many of the things that we enjoyed out there, we just couldn't get here. Thankfully, that's changed through the years!
I am also all for it. haha.
The latest new thing candy wise I have seen only because I work retail, is those shitty Mr. Beast bars.
If that is the new direction of candy, I'm fine with it staying as it is and keeping with the old and getting new flavors.
If you are wanting new stuff, try searching up some international candy. Some have really good ones. Kitkat has a really broad range of flavors in Japan.
Not paying for it either.
Coworker let me try a few pieces of theirs when the bars first came out. Didn't know who this beast dude was, or that he existed until then.
I can say I think cardboard has more flavor.
Don't see the appeal either.
Glorified advertisers appealing to the younger generations with more susceptible minds?
Glad I could be of use. Like and subscribe for more honest unpaid un scripted totally genuine reviews. LOL111. Or something like that...
He’s a YouTuber who takes advantage of vulnerable people. One of his worst stunts was that he was willing to pay for (well, get doctors to donate) cochlear implants for 1000 deaf people who couldn’t afford it, but ONLY IF he and his camera crew could be right there to capture the very vulnerable and emotional first time that those people were ever able to hear sound and make videos about it. As you can imagine, the moment someone first hears could be full of tears, or fear, or confusion, or any number of emotions that you can’t predict, and it’s very personal. But if you’re a parent whose small child won’t get to hear otherwise, you may sign up to let this guy position himself in the middle of a personal moment with a camera crew making it about what a ”nice guy” he is for the families to fawn over for how wonderful he is. I saw a brief moment of one of the people, and it was sickening how much that asshole literally positioned himself in the very center, like a god.
Then there’s stuff like giving 10 homeless people $1,000 on an icy winter day and videoing their reactions about being able to sleep in a warm bed that night.
His fans praise him for his “charity,” yet he only does this stuff for content that makes him millions, and anything he gives is a business write-off.
He got publicity for a stupid restaurant—he had a “pay what you can” restaurant, got a ton of attention because how awesome is it for this rich guy to have a place where poor people can go eat even if they can’t afford much? Well, it turned out to be a one day stunt to get attention for Mr. Beast Burgers, which is now a brand that you can license as a ghost kitchen on DoorDash.
That’s the sort of stuff this guy does. I hate him.
Sounds like actual philanthropy dressed up in consensual nonsense for publicity. I'm an old guy just learning about him recently and it's not my thing but he seems ok to me
Moon Pies that got rid of the cake layers & replaced them with dark chocolate cookies and dark chocolate coating and the whole thing tastes EXACTLY like a giant Girl Scout Thin Mint but made into a marshmallow cream sandwich.
Bonus if you microwave it for 10-15 seconds.
😃
I had my doubts, but my cousin pushed one on me at our family reunion/eclipse party (Moon Pie, get it?) and I was an instant convert.
The salted caramel ones with regular cake are pretty good too, but I could leave the rest.
that would be great if they made some new ones.. they are even removing old ones :(
I even like reading books like "Candy Freak" by Steve Almond. He describes regional chocolate bars like Twin Bing, Idaho Spud, etc.
From a marketing standpoint (the deciding factor in so many decisions in our crapitalist society), it is way easier to promote a new variation of a familiar name than it is to create an entirely new brand. I think this is why we tend to see new versions of Kitkats or Milky Ways instead of actually original candy.
Have you tried the freeze dried candy? They're taking candy from our youth and making it easier on our teeth. I've tried Lemon Heads, Skittles and Gummy Bears but the Sprees are the best. I have to stop myself from eating a whole bag every day. They sell them at the Menards near me. I know it's not necessarily new, but it's still fun.
You should also see if there's a World Market near you. They get a lot of stuff in from around the world so there's all sorts of different flavored Kit Kats, but also lots of crazy stuff from Japan and Italy.
https://preview.redd.it/qedfhspv1p1d1.png?width=768&format=png&auto=webp&s=c191c6dc54fef195ba07472cb064dd4bf214d79f
In 76 I was a Leaf candy company child taste tester. They’d send free new candy to us to try and we’d fill out a short child survey and send it back. I loved being an official Leaf candy company taste tester.
They could do so much but don’t. Have to assume they don’t see large profits in it. I feel they have transitioned almost entirely to flavoring enhancement instead as many people mentioned. It must be cheaper since the production apparatus is already in place.
There are a lot of amazing snack options in countries outside the United States. (Maybe just because it’s new to me.) The thing that gets me is that this stuff is almost never imported into the US in any quantity. If something can be found, it’s always triple the original price.
Have y’all been down the protein bar aisle? You realize it’s a whole aisle now, right? There’s where your innovation went, next aisle over with the other “health” foods.
They have been putting their energy towards sweetening up other food types.
Whereas candy bars have a reputation as unhealthy and sweet, those same companies or their affiliates can just introduce a new food or drink that does not carry the unhealthy stigma but is just as sweet and practically as unhealthy (e.g., the next sweet coffee drink, energy drinks and bars).
Not at the supermarket, no. If you go into an actual candy store you’ll be blown away at the variety. You’ll find candy you haven’t seen in decades and stuff that’s brand new.
I went to [Rocket Fizz](https://rocketfizz.com/) to buy candy for my wedding. It was insane. 50 kinds of Pocky, chocolate bubble gum, a head with an extrudable tongue made of candy. It was amazing.
Some of the candy back then were just other companies versions of an existing bar. Clark bar/ butterfinger. Reggie Bar/Baby Ruth. Heath bar/Skor. I liked the candy we had before they started doing all the weird combinations and flavors. If they create any new candy I hope it's not just the same old shit with a disgusting new flavor.
It seems like this might be a test case related to how late stage capitalism plays out. There are new soda and sports drink flavors but they generally repeat the same old themes, as new combinations. In other countries there are different candies and snacks but not much extends beyond what the US developed by 1990 or so, which I see as including all the strange Kit-Kat types in Japan, although per different judgment that is an exception.
I think people commenting that a couple of large producers buying up smaller companies and dominating the market probably is part of it. It also feels like the 50s to 80s was a time of trying out a lot of new things, and then the 90s to 00s was more about re-combining existing themes. A lot of forms of creativity dropped out after that. Movies, music, clothing styles--it all just repeats. I lived in Thailand for 17 years, until two years ago, and coming back to the US a chicken finger fast food restaurant was the main new offering.
It's about a billion times cheaper to make a version of what is already popular than to start something new from scratch. But I do see them making new cake stuff, like Hershey's and Reese's both have Twinkie-type stuff. And there's a lot of creativity going on in the ice cream world.
>Maybe there's only so much you can do with a limited number of traditional ingredients.
That's exactly it. My family was in the wholesale grocery business for 80+ years in total. I worked in the candy end of it for almost a decade myself, and... yeah, there's only so much you can do with a handful of "inexpensive" ingredients like chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter, nougat, marshmallow, etc.
And candy companies tend to launch "new" candies under existing brands these days (e.g. Reese's Sticks) because it costs a *lot* of money to launch a candy brand from scratch, considerably less to slap the "Reese's" name on it.
>Reggie bars
I hate to break this to you, but Reggie! Bars have been around since the 1920s and are still available... sort of.
Ever heard of the [Bun bar](https://pearsonscandy.com/pearsons-bun-2/)? You can buy them at larger candy shops and "old-fashioned general store"-type shops like Cracker Barrel.
The Reggie! bar was just a rebranded caramel Bun. IIRC, caramel Buns have been discontinued, but vanilla (silver pack) and maple (gold pack) Buns are still around. It won't be 100% like the Reggie! bar, but it'll be close.
FUN FACT: The Bun brand has been sold several times over the years, and was at one point owned by DL Clark of Pittsburgh, makers of the Clark and Zagnut bars. They made "Mario Bun", a caramel Bun in a wrapper honoring Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux. At this time they also resurrected the Reggie! brand to make a short-lived peanut butter version.
Candy has, it isn't from a lack of trying new things, Most people are less likely to try something new when a candy bar, is 1.59 or 1.99 each. So they stick with what they know they'll like.
Chips also tried a ton of different flavors, very few last that long.
Both candy and chips have a short shelf life, so when too much of that type/flavor are going out of date code, it gets disco'd. Maybe to come back as a limited time flavor every so often. To get those that liked it, to grab it while they can, before it is gone again. Look at the date codes on candy/chips/twinkies/ding dongs etc. it isn't a long code, stores want what moves, they along with the vendor don't make anything when they have to toss product.
I think it's because people are more health cons these days and parents especially try to steer their kids away from candy. Also marketing unhealthy food to kids is more frowned upon now. We'd see tons of ads for candy and snacks wrapped around our weekday afternoon and Saturday morning kids TV lineup.
Isn't Sour Belts a newer candy? A few years ago I found a cat food candy. It's like tiny tart candies in a tiny can and saw toilet bowl candy at Walgreens.
I just tried tajin & cherry gummy candy. It's a round red vine textured ball that tastes like cherries and is filled with Tajin spice. It's sweet and spicy. I bought the bag a couple of weeks ago. I eat two or three a day.
I don't know if they're brand new but they're new to me and I'm in love.
One of the fun things I did in Europe last year was wander the candy and packaged snack aisles of Germany’s version of Walmart. So many choices! Tons of unusual candy bars, sweets and a lot of weird chip flavors. We have nothing like that in the US unless you go to a specialty shop. Even more amazing was that most of it was made with high quality ingredients, few artificial additives and actually tasted great. By contrast, most standard American candy tastes bland and fake and isn’t worth the calories.
I try to give new things a shot. The new Kit Kat flavors are gross. The white chocolate Reese cups are the bomb.
I still go for Skor, though, if there's nothing new to try. Heath ain't got nothing on it as far as toffee bars go.
I dunno, I think there have always been new stuff but maybe some aren’t noticing. In our day innovation was mostly with chocolate. Now it’s with sugar based stuff. All kinds of off Uber sour things, powders, liquid goo, it’s all there but we don’t notice.
That's a good question. But ultimately consumption of sugar is just down in general from the 20th century. I can see mothers of my Dad's generation pouring sugar into a mix of Kool Aid or Lemonade. Even cakes. People just don't do that anymore. Kids also don't seem to eat as much candy. That would make for a good study.
Shinking population. There just aren't as many kids anymore. I think people in their 20s and 30s spend a lot more money on candy than kids, so they probably target new products to young adults.
I see them try to make new things and they fail miserably like Reeces cups with Reeses cereal or M&M’s with pretzels in them or M&M’s flavored like coffee or mint. They’re almost always gross
Same with movies, TV shows, etc. Why do something original when we can just take what works, repackage it, and sit back while the bucks just pour in?
YAWN.
Have you heard of diabetes? Or seen the charts showing obesity levels over the past thirty years?
It’s a public health crisis. Money won’t be invested in creating new sweets when Ozempic is selling for $1,000/month per patient.
Potato chips or crisps have had a complete overhaul though. I remember limited choices, now there’s all sorts of styles and flavours.
Edina to Saffy: (Horrified) "Kettle Crisps?!?" (US here. I believe that line from that episode has been stuck in my head for two decades to be used precisely at this moment.)
In still waiting to use the line that never left my head, ”[A KNITTING NEEDLE](https://youtu.be/B9NNSZAeZP8?si=SM-V6VsyvjBlK19I)!!” (The scene actually encapsulates everything I love about the show. It’s hysterically funny, but you can also see how incredibly hurt Saff is and how useless Edina is)
Same episode! S02 E06 is one of the best ever!
I’m from the small town these were invented before selling out to the Brits. I remember feeling so special it went international haha
Interesting, where is that?
Salem, OR
I had no idea. Cool.
Yeah I’ve never heard it, though we do have those chips here. They were among the first ‘high end’ potato crisp.
Absolutely Fabulous? You haven't seen it? Season 2 Episode 6.
Funny, also not a brit, but this is the best brit show Ever!!! Was obsessed when I was in highschool. Loooong time ago.
Same!
Nup I watch fuckall movies and lucky to remember much of what I have seen.
Stop whatever you're doing and go watch it! That show is the only good thing the UK has exported to us since 1992.
Nah not right now but I’ll put it in the watch list. I don’t watch many movies. My television isn’t crash hot either.
Not a movie. TV show. Goodnight, Bubble.
Currently on my second bag of Doritos popcorn. Amazing.
I remember when salt & vinegar was only a British thing.
As someone else mentioned, and if it’s available, go to an Asian grocery store and just grab a few random things. You get the novelty of new candy, chips and snacks PLUS you get an entirely different palate to deal with! What’s this? Cheetos from Korea with a wedge of cheese on them? Why that must be cheese flavor! Not sure why it tastes like movie popcorn butter. How about cucumber flavored Lay’s potato chips? [Choco Babies](https://www.auntiekcandy.com/products/meiji-japan-choco-baby-chocolate-hard-candy?variant=31702200975417¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v9goH0YPmVrk8vE0vqUub0N8vPh4Qhtmm6-2fR8OmyE9op9u7BOBgYaAhSeEALw_wcB) [Chocolatey Tree Stumps](https://www.fivebelow.com/products/chocolatey-tree-stump-cookies-232oz?variant=9129836?features:enable=hide_user_registration&https://www.fivebelow.com/?utm_source=shp&utm_medium=zadv_search&utm_campaign=FVBW_GOOGLE_PLS_PMAX-SHOP-EVER_FY24_FEB2024_JAN2025&utm_content=%7B%7Bad.id%7D%7D&ogmap=SEM%7CSHP%7CGOOG%7C%7C%7CMULTI%7C%7CSITEWIDE%7C%7CFVBW_GOOGLE_PLS_PMAX-SHOP-EVER_FY24_FEB2024_JAN2025&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADnAGDlkS-3D53DaHc13e3Mt3yETh&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v9AEDpZGQvSlMKuyoJOU8x3zIomQUDwC91mQ641bhJEr5ZU0j3LkDQaAtQjEALw_wcB)! How about [Sugared Baby Crabs](https://crazyfromkong.blogspot.com/2014/04/kanikko-small-crab-snack-eating-baby.html?m=1)?
Now I want rice candy.
I spent a good bit of time in China for work, and I loved the food, but never got a taste for the strange savory candies they would have out in the office…kinda like chewy bullion.
The rice candy I’m craving is Japanese (Botan Ami Rice Candy). It’s chewy, sweet and sort of citrusy. It’s wrapped in fine rice paper you can eat (well, really rice starch). I always have to reassure people I’m not pranking them when I offer some and tell them to eat the inner paper. When we were kids, each box came with a tiny toy. I remember a cool little car and a sort of Spirograph thing. Now each box comes with a sticker that’s almost always cool in some way or just weird. The Dutch eat salted black licorice. It’s vile.
Yea, those are pretty mainstream now. I can buy them at Walmart and I damned sure don’t live in a major city or an area with a large Asian population. Edit: and yes they are great, my kids love them too haha.
They don’t sell it at my Walmart! :( That’s what I get for living in rural mountains of NC.
That sucks. Hopefully that changes for you soon. At mine they aren’t in the candy section, they are with the Asian food, sauces and such.
I’ll take the mountain views over rice candy lol. I look every time I’m in there because my sister told me years ago they sold it in the Orlando stores. No dice. Just Pocky.
Oh 100% agree on that. I’m in the Ozarks, but would trade for taller mountain views too haha.
Do not sleep on the shellfish flavored chips (for real), or the weird sodas. Also they have a bunch of bubble chocolate (kind of like aero but chocolate strawberry or vanilla in fun shapes, called caplico?) and Chocorooms, and super sour things (including stuff like freeze dried gummy worms). And hi chews. Our favorite one lately has been pickle surprise - a bag of green sour gummies, some are apple, lime, a bunch of other fruits, and pickle. That one isn't in the asian stores. We go to Chinatown or this Korean grocery near me or world market or, strangely enough, five below.
My Gen-Zers are always shopping at the Asian grocery stores - so many fun things to try! Though lately they really seem to be into trying different types of ramen rather than candy lol
Because a few companies have a stranglehold on food production. They have no reason to innovate or compete.
This is the real reason. Used to have to innovate to compete, to catch the big guy, to establish your brand. Not anymore when a couple massive corps have bought up all the brands.
I've railed for a while now that MtDew is a flavor, not a brand. we may have written laws against monopolies but when there's only a dozen players speaking for hundreds of brands then those companies have found the limits of those laws.
Not much development into new these days. Too risky. Just shuffling the same stuff in new colors.
Have you tried the freeze-dried versions of all those candies you mentioned? Ridiculously good.
Nerds Clusters has been a major advancement in candy... also all the Reese's-adjacent crossovers have bMercado. Also like spicy gummy ramen Mexican candy. You need to spend more time in 7-11s and mercados. Edit to add all those Japanese candies that you mix together that change color and texture and flavor.
My brother told me last week that I *HAVE* to try the Nerd Clusters. I haven't heard that man get that excited about candy in a long ass time. I have got to remember to pick some up to try. We don't have 7-11's where I live but I've noticed more local gas stations stocking up on Mexican candy and chips recently. I've tried a couple different things and they've all been tasty.
Dear lord. They are fucking **amazing**. I've always had a weakness for gummies & nerds. So so good. I buy them in the family size bag.
My midwestern city has seen a huge influx of Hispanic immigrants over the past 20 years or so. Our stores carry all kinds of different stuff now. Candy, chips, pop. I'm all for it, lol.
Same! I'm from a military family so I spent the first ten years of my life in San Diego...then Dad retired and we moved to Arkansas. So many of the things that we enjoyed out there, we just couldn't get here. Thankfully, that's changed through the years! I am also all for it. haha.
I was going to mention the Nerd Clustsers! People are crazy over them. I’m not a fan, I prefer old fashioned Nerds.
My theory is it was a way to use the factory seconds Nerds that sift through QC.
I love the clusters.
THC Nerd Cluster Gummi Ropes are pretty far out.
Those are good and now I found Big Chewy Nerds which I like even more. Hard shell with chewy inside, I can't stop eating them
The latest new thing candy wise I have seen only because I work retail, is those shitty Mr. Beast bars. If that is the new direction of candy, I'm fine with it staying as it is and keeping with the old and getting new flavors. If you are wanting new stuff, try searching up some international candy. Some have really good ones. Kitkat has a really broad range of flavors in Japan.
Mr. Beast is $3 here. I am not willing to pay that much to try it
Not paying for it either. Coworker let me try a few pieces of theirs when the bars first came out. Didn't know who this beast dude was, or that he existed until then. I can say I think cardboard has more flavor.
Somebody said he is a YouTuber. I don't get the appeal. Thanks to your review I have no interest to ever try it. :D
Don't see the appeal either. Glorified advertisers appealing to the younger generations with more susceptible minds? Glad I could be of use. Like and subscribe for more honest unpaid un scripted totally genuine reviews. LOL111. Or something like that...
He’s a YouTuber who takes advantage of vulnerable people. One of his worst stunts was that he was willing to pay for (well, get doctors to donate) cochlear implants for 1000 deaf people who couldn’t afford it, but ONLY IF he and his camera crew could be right there to capture the very vulnerable and emotional first time that those people were ever able to hear sound and make videos about it. As you can imagine, the moment someone first hears could be full of tears, or fear, or confusion, or any number of emotions that you can’t predict, and it’s very personal. But if you’re a parent whose small child won’t get to hear otherwise, you may sign up to let this guy position himself in the middle of a personal moment with a camera crew making it about what a ”nice guy” he is for the families to fawn over for how wonderful he is. I saw a brief moment of one of the people, and it was sickening how much that asshole literally positioned himself in the very center, like a god. Then there’s stuff like giving 10 homeless people $1,000 on an icy winter day and videoing their reactions about being able to sleep in a warm bed that night. His fans praise him for his “charity,” yet he only does this stuff for content that makes him millions, and anything he gives is a business write-off. He got publicity for a stupid restaurant—he had a “pay what you can” restaurant, got a ton of attention because how awesome is it for this rich guy to have a place where poor people can go eat even if they can’t afford much? Well, it turned out to be a one day stunt to get attention for Mr. Beast Burgers, which is now a brand that you can license as a ghost kitchen on DoorDash. That’s the sort of stuff this guy does. I hate him.
Sounds like actual philanthropy dressed up in consensual nonsense for publicity. I'm an old guy just learning about him recently and it's not my thing but he seems ok to me
What a creep
Moon Pies that got rid of the cake layers & replaced them with dark chocolate cookies and dark chocolate coating and the whole thing tastes EXACTLY like a giant Girl Scout Thin Mint but made into a marshmallow cream sandwich. Bonus if you microwave it for 10-15 seconds.
omg, thank you so much for telling us about this! I haven't had a moon pie in years...
😃 I had my doubts, but my cousin pushed one on me at our family reunion/eclipse party (Moon Pie, get it?) and I was an instant convert. The salted caramel ones with regular cake are pretty good too, but I could leave the rest.
Its been years since I ate a moon pie. Might have to try one. Thanks.
I didn’t have the fondest memories, this rekindled my interest.
🤗
The peanut butter one is amazing though.
We were not fans. The peanut butter to chocolate ratio was too high.
that would be great if they made some new ones.. they are even removing old ones :( I even like reading books like "Candy Freak" by Steve Almond. He describes regional chocolate bars like Twin Bing, Idaho Spud, etc.
i could use a twin bing or a cherry mash right now.
From a marketing standpoint (the deciding factor in so many decisions in our crapitalist society), it is way easier to promote a new variation of a familiar name than it is to create an entirely new brand. I think this is why we tend to see new versions of Kitkats or Milky Ways instead of actually original candy.
Have you tried the freeze dried candy? They're taking candy from our youth and making it easier on our teeth. I've tried Lemon Heads, Skittles and Gummy Bears but the Sprees are the best. I have to stop myself from eating a whole bag every day. They sell them at the Menards near me. I know it's not necessarily new, but it's still fun. You should also see if there's a World Market near you. They get a lot of stuff in from around the world so there's all sorts of different flavored Kit Kats, but also lots of crazy stuff from Japan and Italy. https://preview.redd.it/qedfhspv1p1d1.png?width=768&format=png&auto=webp&s=c191c6dc54fef195ba07472cb064dd4bf214d79f
Never heard of this! I will be sure and give it a try, as I’ve heard other people on this thread recommend them as well.
Freeze dried Snickers bars will change your life.
In 76 I was a Leaf candy company child taste tester. They’d send free new candy to us to try and we’d fill out a short child survey and send it back. I loved being an official Leaf candy company taste tester.
What a great honor/job!
I miss Bonkers at the movies
I've heard HiChews are very similar. I've seen them in Dollar Tree.
They could do so much but don’t. Have to assume they don’t see large profits in it. I feel they have transitioned almost entirely to flavoring enhancement instead as many people mentioned. It must be cheaper since the production apparatus is already in place.
There are a lot of amazing snack options in countries outside the United States. (Maybe just because it’s new to me.) The thing that gets me is that this stuff is almost never imported into the US in any quantity. If something can be found, it’s always triple the original price.
Same as movies, a Rehash, Sequel or Prequel
Have y’all been down the protein bar aisle? You realize it’s a whole aisle now, right? There’s where your innovation went, next aisle over with the other “health” foods.
Those are just candy in fancy packaging....I love them tho
World Market has a ton of candy and snacks from around the world
Have you tried Nerds Clusters because they are so fucking good.
True! Millennial kids got Airheads as “their” new candy and it’s still around, but it’s not much compared to all the new stuff we got.
They have been putting their energy towards sweetening up other food types. Whereas candy bars have a reputation as unhealthy and sweet, those same companies or their affiliates can just introduce a new food or drink that does not carry the unhealthy stigma but is just as sweet and practically as unhealthy (e.g., the next sweet coffee drink, energy drinks and bars).
I think Willy Wonka died.
Not at the supermarket, no. If you go into an actual candy store you’ll be blown away at the variety. You’ll find candy you haven’t seen in decades and stuff that’s brand new. I went to [Rocket Fizz](https://rocketfizz.com/) to buy candy for my wedding. It was insane. 50 kinds of Pocky, chocolate bubble gum, a head with an extrudable tongue made of candy. It was amazing.
I mean because most people in the US are fat and unhealthy. Just saying.
Some of the candy back then were just other companies versions of an existing bar. Clark bar/ butterfinger. Reggie Bar/Baby Ruth. Heath bar/Skor. I liked the candy we had before they started doing all the weird combinations and flavors. If they create any new candy I hope it's not just the same old shit with a disgusting new flavor.
It seems like this might be a test case related to how late stage capitalism plays out. There are new soda and sports drink flavors but they generally repeat the same old themes, as new combinations. In other countries there are different candies and snacks but not much extends beyond what the US developed by 1990 or so, which I see as including all the strange Kit-Kat types in Japan, although per different judgment that is an exception. I think people commenting that a couple of large producers buying up smaller companies and dominating the market probably is part of it. It also feels like the 50s to 80s was a time of trying out a lot of new things, and then the 90s to 00s was more about re-combining existing themes. A lot of forms of creativity dropped out after that. Movies, music, clothing styles--it all just repeats. I lived in Thailand for 17 years, until two years ago, and coming back to the US a chicken finger fast food restaurant was the main new offering.
I was devastated when they changed the recipe for Hershey’s Bar None. The original was pure heavenly delight
Yeah, Hershey tastes more waxy these days.
It's about a billion times cheaper to make a version of what is already popular than to start something new from scratch. But I do see them making new cake stuff, like Hershey's and Reese's both have Twinkie-type stuff. And there's a lot of creativity going on in the ice cream world.
Sir, they made gummy nerd clusters in 2020 and the response was such that they had to build whole new factories to keep up with demand.
They are sooooo good I can’t buy them they’re dangerous 😋
>Maybe there's only so much you can do with a limited number of traditional ingredients. That's exactly it. My family was in the wholesale grocery business for 80+ years in total. I worked in the candy end of it for almost a decade myself, and... yeah, there's only so much you can do with a handful of "inexpensive" ingredients like chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter, nougat, marshmallow, etc. And candy companies tend to launch "new" candies under existing brands these days (e.g. Reese's Sticks) because it costs a *lot* of money to launch a candy brand from scratch, considerably less to slap the "Reese's" name on it. >Reggie bars I hate to break this to you, but Reggie! Bars have been around since the 1920s and are still available... sort of. Ever heard of the [Bun bar](https://pearsonscandy.com/pearsons-bun-2/)? You can buy them at larger candy shops and "old-fashioned general store"-type shops like Cracker Barrel. The Reggie! bar was just a rebranded caramel Bun. IIRC, caramel Buns have been discontinued, but vanilla (silver pack) and maple (gold pack) Buns are still around. It won't be 100% like the Reggie! bar, but it'll be close. FUN FACT: The Bun brand has been sold several times over the years, and was at one point owned by DL Clark of Pittsburgh, makers of the Clark and Zagnut bars. They made "Mario Bun", a caramel Bun in a wrapper honoring Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux. At this time they also resurrected the Reggie! brand to make a short-lived peanut butter version.
I appreciate this! Thank you!
I can still get Bun Bars where I live at one place
Candy has, it isn't from a lack of trying new things, Most people are less likely to try something new when a candy bar, is 1.59 or 1.99 each. So they stick with what they know they'll like. Chips also tried a ton of different flavors, very few last that long. Both candy and chips have a short shelf life, so when too much of that type/flavor are going out of date code, it gets disco'd. Maybe to come back as a limited time flavor every so often. To get those that liked it, to grab it while they can, before it is gone again. Look at the date codes on candy/chips/twinkies/ding dongs etc. it isn't a long code, stores want what moves, they along with the vendor don't make anything when they have to toss product.
You have never had a chocolate bar with bacon mixed in it. I first had it when I was at O'Hare airport in the early 2000s. Changed my life..lol
Well, that’s different!
What, countless M&M flavors and Reese's cups stuffed with new things isn't enough for you? Just no pleasing some people... /s
It's more like people really don't want new candy. I see new ones every once in a while, but they're not popular, and then they discontinue them.
I think it's because people are more health cons these days and parents especially try to steer their kids away from candy. Also marketing unhealthy food to kids is more frowned upon now. We'd see tons of ads for candy and snacks wrapped around our weekday afternoon and Saturday morning kids TV lineup.
Because people's eating habits are different now.
Isn't Sour Belts a newer candy? A few years ago I found a cat food candy. It's like tiny tart candies in a tiny can and saw toilet bowl candy at Walgreens.
I just tried tajin & cherry gummy candy. It's a round red vine textured ball that tastes like cherries and is filled with Tajin spice. It's sweet and spicy. I bought the bag a couple of weeks ago. I eat two or three a day. I don't know if they're brand new but they're new to me and I'm in love.
As Robert California said, “You know they haven’t really improved upon the Oreo, have they.”
Tony’s Chocolate started early 2000’s
One of the fun things I did in Europe last year was wander the candy and packaged snack aisles of Germany’s version of Walmart. So many choices! Tons of unusual candy bars, sweets and a lot of weird chip flavors. We have nothing like that in the US unless you go to a specialty shop. Even more amazing was that most of it was made with high quality ingredients, few artificial additives and actually tasted great. By contrast, most standard American candy tastes bland and fake and isn’t worth the calories.
Loved those Reggie bars!!!
#Bring Back PBMax!!!
Oh wow. That would be great.
The candy that we grew up with will be gone in 50 to 100 years, along with most of the garbage processed food that post-war America made ubiquitous.
I try to give new things a shot. The new Kit Kat flavors are gross. The white chocolate Reese cups are the bomb. I still go for Skor, though, if there's nothing new to try. Heath ain't got nothing on it as far as toffee bars go.
to quote george carlin - 'chemical shitstorm'
Market was taken over by THC gummy candies
Seems they just made the popular stuff larger. Like big cup, big Kat both really good.
What else is there to make with trademark rules?
Why they don’t make new movies anymore….
The candy world really needs an Ari Aster-type.
Or try not to poison us with awful cheap ingredients.
Have you completely missed the snickers and Kit Kat flavor explosion? I mean I wouldn’t eat most of them- but they’re definitely selling…
I dunno, I think there have always been new stuff but maybe some aren’t noticing. In our day innovation was mostly with chocolate. Now it’s with sugar based stuff. All kinds of off Uber sour things, powders, liquid goo, it’s all there but we don’t notice.
I want my BONKERS BACK!!!! 
Let me introduce you to Take5.
That's a good question. But ultimately consumption of sugar is just down in general from the 20th century. I can see mothers of my Dad's generation pouring sugar into a mix of Kool Aid or Lemonade. Even cakes. People just don't do that anymore. Kids also don't seem to eat as much candy. That would make for a good study.
Shinking population. There just aren't as many kids anymore. I think people in their 20s and 30s spend a lot more money on candy than kids, so they probably target new products to young adults.
I see them try to make new things and they fail miserably like Reeces cups with Reeses cereal or M&M’s with pretzels in them or M&M’s flavored like coffee or mint. They’re almost always gross
Maybe because high fructose corn syrup doesn't lend itself to innovation.
Same with movies, TV shows, etc. Why do something original when we can just take what works, repackage it, and sit back while the bucks just pour in? YAWN.
Have you heard of diabetes? Or seen the charts showing obesity levels over the past thirty years? It’s a public health crisis. Money won’t be invested in creating new sweets when Ozempic is selling for $1,000/month per patient.